


When You Stop at the Top

by Rinshi



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Meihem - Freeform, Romantic Fluff, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 13:34:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9739412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rinshi/pseuds/Rinshi
Summary: Jamison finally asked Mei on a date - and it's a trip to a big American city for Valentine's Day! But then Jamison's plans start falling apart at every turn, and Mei wonders if anything will go right on this disastrous date...





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Anonomeis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonomeis/gifts).



“I’m sorry, sir, but your name is not on the list.”

The maître d' tapped two fingers on the page in front of him, clearly having lost most, if not all, patience with the man looming over him.

“Oi am  _ Jamison Fawkes _ ,” the tall blonde drawled, draping the mechanical fingers of his right hand over the edge of the podium, “An’ if y’know what’s good fer ya, ya’ll get us a table.”

“I don’t care if you’re the  _ King of England _ ,” the maître d' snapped, lifting his chin, “Our establishment seats patrons by  _ reservation only _ , and since you clearly do not have one I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to  _ leave _ .”

After watching this exchange she reached out and took hold of the edge of Jamison's sleeve, tugging gently.

“Let's just go, Jamie,” Mei urged, her voice low and eyes pleading. They were perilously close to causing a scene, something she wanted desperately to avoid... even if she  _ did _ wonder what the maître d’s snooty face might look like if she shoved his head into the top of the fancy fish tank behind him. She’d never subject the poor fish to that, though.

Jamison balled his prosthetic hand into a fist, but he threw nothing more than a withering glare at the maître d’ before turning on his heel and offering Mei his elbow. Mei took his arm with what she hoped was an appropriately haughty  _ “hmph!” _ before they sauntered out past the no doubt very posh and completely hideous glass and marble waterfall sculpture.

Outside Mei wrapped her white faux fur coat tighter around her shoulders to ward against the cold February evening. Jamison scowled as he marched down the street away from  _ Château Riche. _

“Ugh, the nerve of that snobby  _ waiter _ ,” Mei huffed, “I saw plenty of open tables; why couldn't they just let us have one?”

“Cuz they're  _ suits _ , that's why,” Jamison growled, picking at the sleeve of his own attire. Mei smirked as she remembered being utterly shocked to see what he was wearing when he had arrived to pick her up for their date.

“Just a moment!” she had called when she'd heard his knock at her hotel room door. She'd finished affixing her silver earrings and had bustled across the room, excitement buzzing in her belly and lightening her steps. She had paused in front of the full length mirror that hung in a fancy gilded frame on the wall, taking a moment to check herself over.

“I hope I’m not overdressed,” she'd mumbled, “but he  _ did _ say we were going someplace fancy.”

She'd opted for a cheongsam, the royal blue one with cap sleeves and a long mermaid skirt. The blue satin was overlaid with lace embroidered with a floral motif in blue and silver threads flecked with studded sequins. The bottom had a scalloped hem while the neck and sleeves were edged in plain silver. She had fidgeted with the waistline, picking at the top edge of her stockings. They were made by a popular shapewear company and were supposed to suck everything in. At least her tummy looked nicely smooth under the tight, form-fitting dress. Not exactly  _ flat _ , but smooth. The hint of a frown had touched her lips as she’d turned in front of the mirror; her butt looked  _ huge _ .

A spark of nerves had pushed her toward the door once more. She hadn’t wanted to keep Jamison waiting for too long, not after he had finally worked up the courage to ask her on a date, and a trip to a big American city on Valentine’s Day at that. He was probably nervous enough already.

Mei had placed a hand on the door, blown out a breath, and opened it. There Jamison had been, standing as straight and tall as she had ever seen him, not a trace of his usual hunched posture. She couldn’t help the blush that touched her cheeks; Jamison cut a rather dashing figure in the tailored black tailcoat suit and white shirt he was wearing, even though he had roughly torn off half of the right sleeve and pant leg to accommodate his prosthetics. He was even wearing a black bow tie, and his hair was clean and slicked back. He held one arm behind his back, and the other he had extended toward her as he bent at the waist in a surprisingly elegant bow.

“I have come to escort you, my lady,” he had said, his voice impressively smooth, but Mei had needed to press a hand to her lips to suppress a giggle. So  _ that’s _ what he had spent so long practicing in the bathroom back at base.

Jamison had looked up at her from his bow with a self-satisfied grin, but it had only lasted a moment before he straightened back up again, mouth slightly agape, as he looked her up and down, cheeks turning pink.

“Y-ya look, uh,” he had fumbled out, clearly struggling to say something,  _ anything _ , “r-real… real nice.”

Mei had waited a moment to see if he would say anything else, but he had only stood there, not quite able to look directly at her, so she had just smiled and thanked him. Once she had her coat and bag she had taken his arm and they were on their way, Mei’s turn to grin as she enjoyed the deepening blush on Jamison’s cheeks when she had threaded her arm through his.

Now as they walked arm-in-arm down the crowded city street Jamison’s face was flushed for other reasons. He had slumped back into his usual clumping gait, making it awkward for Mei to hold his arm, but when she saw the frown on his face she was determined to do her best. That was the third restaurant they had been turned away from, and Mei was beginning to suspect that it wasn’t simply about reservations and table availability.

“Why don’t we find somewhere a little less fancy?” Mei asked, looking around at the places that surrounded them, “What about there? That looks fun!”

She pointed at a brightly lit restaurant wedged into the lowest floor of one of the buildings that towered along the city street. It had upbeat music playing through outdoor speakers and colorful neon signs including the restaurant’s name in large red letters.

“Outback Steakhouse?” Jamison read, “Ya can’t be serious, Snowball.”

“What? Why?” Mei asked, abashed, “Is it a bad place? I haven’t heard of it before...”

Jamison looked like he wanted to argue, but there must have been something in her expression that changed his mind, because he took one look at her, swallowed, and said, “Well, I ain't ever  _ been _ there, so… we could give it a go, I s’pose.”

An hour later Mei was physically dragging Jamison out the door, an Australian flag clutched in his hands as he yelled a steady stream of obscenities and other phrases that his accent had become too thick to decipher.

“What is he saying?” asked a patron by the door.

“I don’t know,” their companion replied, taking another bite of affordable steak, “I can’t really make it out.”

“Well, he’s definitely pissed, that's for sure.”

Mei reached up and firmly grabbed Jamison by the ear, the tall junker yelping in surprise and protesting loudly as she pulled him along behind her. She didn’t stop marching him down the street until they were three blocks away from the restaurant and she pulled him aside into the alcove of a closed-down shop’s entrance.

“You should have just told me you didn’t like it!” Mei snapped, “We didn't even get to finish our appetizer!”

“Y’mean that deep-fried  _ abomination? _ ” Jamison sneered, “What is it with Americans? Why do they havta  _ drown  _ everything in fat?”

“I thought it tasted good.”

“Well it ain't gonna do yer waistline any favors…”

Too late he seemed to realize what he'd said, eyes widening as he looked down at Mei with a start. “Er, I-I didn't mean-” he stammered, but the damage was done.

“I’m going back to the hotel,” Mei growled, anger forming a tight lump in her throat and stinging the corners of her eyes as she pushed past Jamison. She was halted mid-step by his hand on her arm.

“Wait, please, I’m sorry,” he blurted, desperation making his voice harsh, “Don't go, Snowball. Oi swear Oi didn't mean it like that, but it was a right stupid thing ta say. Lemme make it up ta ya. Please. Oi  _ promise _ Oi’ll be on me best behavior from now on.”

Mei looked down at his hand on her arm and pursed her lips. She was still angry, but he seemed sincere. Maybe he  _ hadn’t  _ really meant it as an offhanded dig at her weight. Hadn't she also resolved this year to better control her temper?

“All right,” she sighed, relaxing, “but you’d better have something  _ really  _ amazing planned after that spectacle in the restaurant.”

“Well, y’know I’m a  _ spectacular  _ kinda guy,” Jamison grinned, “but considerin’ how well plannin’s gone so far, I think it might be time ta cut a little loose..”

He grabbed her hand, eyes alight with excitement once again, and they set off into the crowds. 

“Where are we going?” Mei asked, unable to stop the smile that was spreading across her face.

“Dunno!” Jamison replied, “We’ll find out when we get there!”

A little while later Mei was starting to wonder just how much further they were going to go when they finally stopped in front of a brightly colored truck parked by the side of the road. There was a window open on one side, and both cheerful light and wonderful smells poured out of it. Her stomach provided a loud reminder that she hadn’t really had the chance to eat dinner, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

“Sounds like this is the place,” Jamison said, smirking as he glanced sideways at her.

Mei almost protested, but the food smelled heavenly and she was tired of walking in heels.

“Maybe with hearing that good they should call you Junk _ bat _ ,” she quipped instead, turning to examine the menu on the side of the truck.

“Are ya kiddin’?” Jamison laughed behind her, “I’ve blown meself half deaf by now. Ya sure ya ain’t a really cute, fluffy bear in disguise? ‘Cause yer stomach sure growls like one.”

“You’d better be careful then, or this little bear might show you her claws!” Mei said with a grin, turning and playfully growling as she held up her hands with her nails out like she might scratch him.

Jamison stepped forward and placed a hand on the side of the truck next to Mei’s head, and Mei found herself suddenly caught tightly between the truck and the tall junker looming over her.

“Well,” he said, voice low and inviting, “don’t threaten me with a good time.”

Mei swallowed and fought the heat that was creeping up her neck and threatening to flush her cheeks with more than the embarrassment of a few moments prior. This wasn’t new, though; their entire relationship was practically built on teasing. At first she had hated it, and she had told Jamison off every chance she’d gotten. When he didn’t show any sign of letting up, however, she had decided to try a different tactic: she stopped getting angry and started teasing him back. Let him have a taste of his own medicine, she’d thought, and soon enough he’d pick a different target.

Something unexpected had happened, however: Mei had found that she  _ liked _ teasing Jamison, and it appeared that he felt the same way. What had begun as antagonism had turned into a sort of odd friendship as they had needled each other and learned more about one another in the process. Eventually Mei began to suspect that there was something different about her relationship with Jamie, one that she was afraid to give a name to and worried that he may not feel in return. Then one day Jamison had asked her not only on a date, but to travel with him to America for Valentine’s Day, and Mei found herself only too happy to accept.

Now here he was trying to get Mei flustered, which seemed to be his favorite game, so she set her jaw and smiled, determined this time to give as good as she got. She lowered her chin, looking up at Jamison over the rim of her glasses with batting eyelashes. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, swaying her hips as she reached out and straightened the lapels of his coat.

“Then I guess,” she purred, looking down at her hands as she smoothed them across his chest before flicking her gaze back up to his eyes, “you’d better be a good little rat.”

She watched his Adam’s apple bob with a smirk of satisfaction, then turned and let her hip brush his thigh as she squeezed past him.

She ordered a burrito with bulgogi beef, bacon and kimchi rice, black beans that were seasoned with soy, purple slaw, a little extra kimchi, and all of it topped off with a sweet and smokey barbecue sauce. Once Jamison had managed to collect himself he also ordered a burrito, one with Korean barbecue pork, purple rice, cheese, pico de gallo, some of the black beans, roasted corn, and whatever their house sauce was.

As they walked down the street Mei munched happily on her food, relishing the flavors washing over her tongue with each bite.  _ Food really does taste best when you’re really hungry, _ she thought. Beside her Jamison nibbled at his burrito in one hand while he studied a flyer of some sort in the other that he had picked up at the food truck.

“What is that?” Mei asked between bites, and he grinned, his gold tooth sparkling from a passing headlight as he tucked the flyer into his pocket.

“Ah, it’s nothin’,” he told her before shoving a massive bite into his mouth, evading her question with his tongue otherwise occupied.

Mei just smiled and kept eating, though her curiosity still burned. When she was about halfway through her burrito a dribble of sauce leaked down her hands and she leaned forward, barely missing making a mess of the front of her dress. Her shoes, however, were not so lucky. She felt warm barbecue sauce splatter on the top of her foot and trickle between her toes, and she grimaced around her mouthful of Korean burrito.

Jamison was quick to action, finishing his own burrito in two impressive bites and whipping a handkerchief out of a pocket. First he gently wiped down her hands (“Sorry it ain’t cleaner,” he mumbled of the cloth, which had a few black stains on it), and then he knelt down on the sidewalk and extended a hand toward her feet with a wry smirk and questioning glance up at her. Mei giggled and put her sauce-covered foot out, steadying herself by holding what was left of her burrito in one hand and putting the other on Jamison’s shoulder. He took her shoe off and wiped the sauce off of her foot before cleaning off the shoe itself.

“This must look completely ridiculous,” Mei said, shaking her head.

“Nah,” Jamison assured her, “Easy enough to tell what’s  _ afoot _ .”

Mei groaned at his terrible joke, but it brought a smile to her lips all the same.

“Roight-o, Cinderella,” Jamison said, looking up at her, “I’m sure ya’d like ta have yer Prince Charmin’ put yer fancy shoe on ya, but ‘fraid yer gonna havta settle fer me.”

“That’s ok,” Mei giggled, “A king is better anyway. Isn’t that right, King Jamison Fawkes the First?”

“Too right!” Jamison grinned, “Well then,  _ my Queen _ , allow me.”

He slid her shoe onto her foot with a careful hand, and Mei couldn’t stop another giggle. People were definitely staring at them now, but for some reason she didn’t care. Jamison stood up and as his head neared her face she leaned forward and, unthinking, placed a light kiss on his forehead. He stared at her for a moment, and Mei honestly felt just as surprised as he looked.

“U-um, thank you,” she stammered, and she busied herself with the rest of her food, no stopping the scarlet blush across her cheeks now.

“Sure,” Jamison replied, his own face reddened, and for a moment neither of them seemed to know what to do. At last Jamison cleared his throat and offered her his elbow.

“Shall we, then, Queen Snowball?” he said, and Mei nodded.

They walked for a bit in silence, red-cheeked and smiling, sharing in a warmth that neither had quite expected on that cold February evening. Once Mei had finished her food Jamison surprised her by hailing a cab, and she felt a spike of excited anticipation when she saw Jamison showing the driver the flyer he had picked up at the food truck. The driver nodded and they were off, neither Jamison nor Mei speaking but instead each looking out their own window. Even so, somehow still their hands found one another between them, and though it was a bit awkward Mei managed to thread her own small fingers between those of Jamison’s much larger prosthetic hand. As she watched the city pass by outside her window Mei couldn't stop smiling, nor could she suppress the bright pink flush of her cheeks. She found she had no desire to.

The cab at last made a bumpy stop and Jamison practically leapt out to rush around and open Mei’s door for her. She took his outstretched hand and stepped out of the cab, taking a look around as Jamison paid the driver. They were standing on a deserted sidewalk outside of a gated entrance with a large sign over it that read “Adventureland.”

“An amusement park?” Mei murmured, but something seemed a bit off.

As the cab rumbled off and Jamison joined Mei by the ticketing gate, Mei pointed at a piece of paper that was taped to the inside of the window.

_ We are currently closed for the season. See you in the spring! _

“They’re _closed?!_ ” Jamison gaped, slamming a fist on the counter, “Are ya bloody _kiddin’_ _me?!_ ”

He spun around with an indecipherable growl and looked up and down the street. They had left the crowded city center behind, and with the park closed the area was deserted so there weren’t any other cabs in sight.

“‘Course the car’s gone already,” Jamison muttered, “The driver coulda warned me, but no; gotta make his fuckin’ fare. Bloody hell…”

He stalked over to a nearby bench and sat down heavily, resting his elbows on his knees and scowling at the ground. Mei joined him, taking the seat next to him without a word.

“Y’know,” Jamison said quietly, still looking at the ground, “I wanted ta do right by ya, Snowball. I really did. Ya deserve ta be taken out on a right proper date, but… this whole night’s just gone ta the dogs at every turn. Can’t do anythin’ right, can I? I’m sorry...”

His voice trembled, a clear testament to the anger and disappointment he was directing inward, and he hugged his arms to his chest as his shoulders shook. Mei stood up and stepped in front of Jamison, shrugging out of her warm, fluffy coat so she could lean forward and deposit it around his shoulders. He looked up at her in surprise, an unspoken question on his face.

“The climate in Australia is mostly arid or semi-arid, and the northern part of the continent is tropical,” she told him with a gentle smile, “so you don’t like the cold, do you?”

“But… won’t ya be cold?” he asked, though even as he did he pulled the coat tighter around his shoulders.

“It doesn’t really bother me,” she assured him, her smile widening as she offered him her hand, “Now come on, before someone sees us.”

He took her hand and rose, the ghost of a smile returning to his lips.

“Before someone sees us?” he echoed as she led him back toward the gate, the corner of his mouth turning up into a smirk as he narrowed his eyes at her, “What d’ya mean, Snowball?”

Mei approached the turnstile and took off her heels, tossing them with her purse to the other side.

“This,” she told him, and she hiked up her skirt and clambered over.

“Come on!” she giggled, waving at Jamison to come across as she retrieved her shoes.

The tall junker shook his head and laughed, then he took a couple of quick steps and vaulted the turnstile with ease and a surprising amount of grace. Once Mei had slipped her shoes back on she grabbed him by the hand and dragged him off into the darkened park, trying unsuccessfully to suppress a giggle behind her hand.

“This is so exciting!” she laughed, afraid to raise her voice even though the park was quite empty.

“What, never been on the wrong side a’ the law before?” Jamison teased, elbowing Mei in the arm.

“Something tells me it won’t be the last time either if I keep hanging out with you,” she retorted with a grin.

The first obstacle they needed to overcome was that everything was powered down, so they split up in search of the power controls. After a few minutes of searching alone, however, Mei began to feel rather creeped out in the gloom. The park took on strange shapes in the dark, and the longer it took to find the controls, the more Mei was beginning to question her spontaneous idea of sneaking in. Not to mention that, though she’d put on a brave face for Jamison, it  _ was _ a rather cold winter night to not be wearing a coat.

Just then a sound reached her on the breeze: a sort of tinny music coming from the center of the park. She followed it past abandoned food stands and a strange ride that looked like it would definitely make her sick. As she neared the source of the music it became clearer and she could see light, and at last she rounded a corner to see a large and brightly-lit carousel turning in the night. It pumped out cheerful calliope music as it spun, and not only horses but zebras, lions, dragons, eagles, unicorns, and other fanciful creatures glided serenely up and down around it.

She spied Jamison coming into view as the carousel turned, and she couldn’t help but burst out laughing when she saw him. He’d fully put on her faux fur coat, though the sleeves were much too short for him, and somewhere he had picked up a pair of black sunglasses. He now sat atop a bobbing kangaroo, arms crossed and chin raised in the air, looking for all the world like he was posing for his debut album cover. He broke character as he got close, grinning and lifting the sunglasses with one hand while reaching out with the other to clasp Mei’s arm and lift her up beside him.

The creature next to him was a red dragon, and Jamison helped Mei up into its seat as they rode the carousel around and around, hands clasped and laughing. Next they tried some of the carnival games, turning on the power for each one as they came to it and turning it off again as they left to avoid attracting too much attention. One of them was a water gun game that Mei excelled at, and Jamison pulled down the largest stuffed bear for her: a panda. They tried a swing ride that was fun but ended up making Jamison feel a bit ill, so they spent a few minutes sitting on a bench while Mei rubbed his back until he felt better. Next they rode through a haunted house that wasn’t  _ too _ scary, but it gave Mei an excuse to clutch Jamison’s arm and there was only  _ one _ part that made her hide behind her bear.

As they made their way around the park Mei knew that it would only be a matter of time before someone noticed that something was going on. Jamison was a wanted man with a large bounty on his head: a run-in with the police wasn’t exactly at the top of Mei’s list of activities for the evening.

“Maybe we should go,” she told Jamison at last, “before we get into trouble.”

“If ya didn’t wanna get in trouble, ya prob’ly shouldn’t a’ come out with me,” Jamison replied, “Thought ya’d know by now that Oi  _ am _ trouble. Besides, I’m an internationally wanted criminal; if somethin’ happens ya can just say that Oi kidnapped ya an’ I’m sure they’d believe ya.”

“Let’s just make sure it doesn’t come to that,” Mei said with a nervous chuckle, “I don’t want my first date with you  _ blowing up _ in our faces.”

“Well, alright,” Jamison said slowly with a smirk, “Long as I get ta blow up somethin’ else later.”

“I told you,” Mei teased, “you’d better be good if you want to have fun later.”

“Oh, er, I meant  _ literally, _ but, uh, y’know, that works too.”

They reached the center of the park once more, and with a glint in his eye Jamison asked Mei to wait there for him while he took care of something.

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

“Just wait; you’ll see!” he assured her with a giggle and a grin as he trotted off into the darkness.

She crossed her arms around her bear and scanned the darkened park. They had turned everything off again, so if they left quickly no one would likely have any idea that they’d ever been there. The time that they’d shared together would fade away into the darkness, preserved only in their memories and the stuffed panda she carried. For some reason the thought was bittersweet, a strange shred of disappointment that no one would know of what had come between them in that place. The night would carry on, cold and silent, oblivious to their small adventure in the dark.

All at once the world around her was flooded with light and sound as the entire park came to life. She spun around this way and that, shock and wonder writ plain across her face as she took in the amusement park in its full glory. Every light was lit, every ride sprang into motion, and all around was bright music and festive sounds. She almost didn’t notice him as Jamison came running up to her, taking her by the hand and pulling her along beside him.

“Now it  _ definitely _ won’t be long before someone comes sniffin’ ‘round!” Jamison laughed, “So we better hurry!”

Mei simply laughed. She couldn’t help it. What was happening was so perfectly, ridiculously  _ Jamison  _ that she could do nothing but laugh and laugh as they ran with their hands held tight. She had to wipe a tear from her eye when at last they stopped, and when she looked up she found herself standing before the ferris wheel. Jamison cleared his throat and opened the door of the bottom car for her with a slight bow.

“My Queen,” he said with an air of such seriousness that was so at odds with her too-short coat he was still wearing that Mei barely refrained from laughing herself silly again. 

“Why thank you, my dear King,” she replied after a moment to compose herself, and she stepped gracefully into the car.

Jamison fiddled with the controls before hurrying into the car himself, boarding just as the ferris wheel swung into motion. He popped into the seat across from Mei as they ascended, his knees brushing against hers in the small car. Outside the world fell away, and soon the whole of the park was laid out sparkling before them. Mei marveled at the view through the window, but she felt a twinge of disappointment that Jamison had not chosen to sit next to her. She’d even put her bear on the floor so the seat would be free.

When the ferris wheel had taken them all the way to the top it stopped, and both Mei and Jamison looked excitedly out the windows at both the park and the city outside. Up here the cold evening breeze blew through the cracks in the ferris wheel car, and Mei rubbed her arms as she looked down and spied the carousel turning in the distance.

“Oi  _ knew _ ya were gonna get cold,” Jamison said, “C’mon, over here.”

Mei moved to sit next to him and gasped when he threw his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap instead.

“There we go,” he said with a wink, “An’ seein’ as I’m a skinny bloke there's plenty a’ room in this coat fer two.”

He wrapped the coat around them both, enveloping Mei in his comforting warmth. Their faces were so close that Mei could feel his breath across her cheeks. Without the usual layer of dust and grime on his face Mei could see the smattering of freckles that crossed Jamison’s cheeks and long nose, and her mind traced the constellations there as the two of them gazed at one another. His eyes were so bright that they almost seemed to glow in the dim light that reached them from the ground below.

“Oh, I, er, I got somethin’ fer ya,” Jamison said, his voice low and somehow bashful, “It’s in me jacket pocket, if ya can reach it. I can’t rightly get at it while I’m holdin’ ya like this. Not that I’m  _ complainin’, _ mind.”

Mei reached into his jacket and found the pocket inside, her hand brushing his chest as she did so and sending a thrill through her as she felt the tight muscles there. Her fingers touched a hard and strangely shaped object that was smooth in some places and rougher in others, and when she pulled it out she found that she was holding a small metal rose. The stem and leaves were a dark silver, probably steel or aluminum, and the flower itself was bright copper. Mei was struck by how impressively detailed it was, almost like a real flower that had been plated.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed.

“Oi wanted ta get ya a real one,” Jamison admitted, “but I’m allergic like, an’ I had some scrap lyin’ around, so…”

“You  _ made _ this?” Mei gaped, looking again at the metal rose. It was so intricately detailed; there were even lines engraved into the petals and leaves to simulate the texture of a real flower.

“Yeah,” Jamison said, looking away, “Oi know yer s’posed ta get yer girl a dozen an’ all, but I underestimated the time it’d take ta just make the  _ one _ , an’, well…”

The look in his eye and the flush in his cheeks was almost too adorable for Mei to bear. He was usually so brash, so assured, and yet now he was reduced to a mumbling, stammering boy trying desperately to impress her and terrified that he could not. She could see it in his face, feel it in the way he held her, hear it in his voice: fear and doubt that made him believe that someone like him could never be worthy of her. Mei reached up and touched his cheek, every bone in her body suddenly aching to ease his fears and brush his doubt away.

“I love it,” she assured him, “almost as much as I love you.”

She leaned in and closed her eyes, a bright warmth igniting in her chest when their lips met. Jamison pulled her even tighter to him, craving her closeness, as though drawing her nearer would also shrink the gap he still felt between them. Mei wondered if this feeling in her chest was what people meant when they said “sparks flew.” She didn’t think that was quite accurate, though. It was more like one of Jamison’s explosions: a sudden and intense conflagration that took her by surprise. She had no idea of the depth of her own feelings until that moment, and the inside of that small, cold ferris wheel car was, for half a heartbeat, her entire world.

When they broke the kiss and pulled away from each other, Jamison looked happier than Mei had ever seen him before. His smile wasn’t a grin of manic glee or a sarcastic smirk; it was warm and gentle, though there was still a mischievous gleam in his eye.

“Beg pardon,” he said, “but like Oi said, me hearin’ ain’t what it used ta be. Couldja repeat what it was ya said just now?”

“I said,” Mei giggled, “that I love you, Jamie.”

He leaned in to kiss her again, and his voice was barely above a whisper as he said exactly what Mei hoped to hear.

“I love ya too, Mei.”

Their second kiss was deeper than the first, fueled by the passion and heady rush of their confessed feelings, but it was also brief.

“Oh!” Mei cried, straightening her glasses as she pulled back, “We have to go! I’m sure the police will be here soon!”

“Ah, about that,” Jamison replied with a nervous laugh, “We  _ might _ have a slight problem.”

“What do you mean?” Mei asked, dread rising.

“Well, uh, I set the controls ta stop us at the top, right?” Jamison began, rubbing the back of his neck.

“... and?” Mei pressed.

He flashed her a sheepish grin.

“Well there ain’t exactly anybody ta bring us down again, is there?”


End file.
